UN: Famine Is Certain in Gaza without Cease-fire

2024 · VOA Learning English

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Transcript

1. A United Nations official warned Tuesday that the Gaza Strip is at high risk of famine, an extreme lack of food, if the war there does not stop soon.

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2. Ramesh Rajasingham is director of the coordination division in the U.N. humanitarian office.

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3. "If nothing is done, we fear widespread famine in Gaza is almost inevitable and the conflict, which since October has claimed the lives of almost 30,000 people and injured more

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4. than 70,000 will have many more victims," he said. Rajasingham spoke at a meeting of the U.N.

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5. Security Council requested by members Algeria, Guyana, Slovenia and Switzerland. There are rising concerns that hunger is being used as a weapon in the war.

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6. Almost the entire population is depending on food aid to survive, he said.

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7. "Gaza is seeing the worst level of child malnutrition anywhere in the world," said Carl Skau, an official with the U.N.’s World Food Program (WFP).

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8. He explained how the entire food supply chain has been impacted by the war. He said Israel has forced farmers to leave their land or flee shelling that has destroyed crops.

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9. Fishing is banned and ground water is polluted. "In the most likely scenario, agricultural production will have collapsed in the north by May 2024," Martina said.

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10. humanitarian chief. He said humanitarians continue to face serious difficulties in providing aid.

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11. "These include border crossing closures, serious movement restrictions, access denials, onerous vetting procedures, security risks, incidents by desperate civilians,

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12. a breakdown of law and order, and restrictions on communications and protective equipment," Griffiths wrote. Israel denies it is restricting or limiting the delivery of aid to Gaza.

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13. "Israel is doing all it can to care for civilians, going above and beyond what is expected, let alone required," Israel's deputy U.N.

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14. Miller said Israel has helped the delivery of 254,000 tons of relief supplies into Gaza since the start of the war, including 165,000 tons of food.

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15. He blamed Hamas for diverting aid and the U.N. for failing to properly manage and distribute it.

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16. About 300,000 people are believed to have ignored Israel's earlier evacuation order and remained through months of heavy fighting between the Israel Defense Forces and

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17. Hamas. "If nothing changes, a famine is imminent in northern Gaza," WFP's Skau said.

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18. The U.N. agency that assists Palestinians, UNRWA, delivers most of the relief supplies.

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19. It says the last time it was able to get food aid to northern Gaza was on January 23.

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20. On February 20, the World Food Program suspended its deliveries to the north because of a lack of security in the area.

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21. The World Health Organization last reached Gaza City's largest hospital, Al Shifa, on January 22 with medical supplies.

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22. One week ago, the 15-nation Security Council failed to pass an agreement calling for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire because of a veto from the United States.

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23. Several council members repeated their call for a cease-fire at Tuesday's meeting.

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24. Even Israel's closest ally, the United States, displayed its growing displeasure with the slow delivery of aid.

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25. It urged Israel to keep border crossings open and to open new ones. "Simply put, Israel must do more," Ambassador Robert Wood said.

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